Heavenly Tribute to Norman: A Letter of Gratitude to the Father of Qualitative Research for God10/7/2023 Heavenly Tribute to Norman: A Letter of Gratitude to the Father of Qualitative Research for God Niroj Dahal Kathmandu University School of Education, Nepal Abstract
I am penning this letter to the almighty God for his divine care of Norman, a sociologist celebrated as “the father of qualitative research” for his revolutionary works establishing and advancing qualitative research methodology. Norman was summoned to his heavenly abode on August 6 in Urbana, Illinois, at 82 years old. So, in this brief message, I share some reflections on Norman's profound impact on my research endeavors. The depth of my gratitude is such that words seem inadequate; hence, this letter to God might serve as a humble token of my appreciation for the works of Norman K. Denzin. Keywords Norman, letter to God, gratitude, revolutionary work, research methodology A letter to God! Dear God, As an educational researcher, I pen this letter to express my profound gratitude for the life and works of Norman K. Denzin. I am deeply thankful for the wisdom and compassion that Norman K. Denzin embodied as a scholar whose work has significantly influenced my academic life. His extensive portfolio, including but not limited to developing interpretive theory, performance studies, and scholarly examinations of media, culture, and society, showcases the breadth and depth of his scholarship in qualitative research methodology. Dear God, I first encountered Denzin's work when I was a graduate student in mathematics education at Kathmandu University School of Education, Nepal. I was immediately drawn to his insights into the crucial remarks on "The Death of Data?" (Denzin, 2013) and his profound emphasis on narrative and reflexivity in research. Denzin's work fundamentally transformed how I saw the world and helped me understand my place in it more deeply. I am particularly grateful for Denzin's revolutionary contributions to establishing and advancing qualitative research, as evident in his works such as Denzin (1986), Denzin and Lincoln (1995), Denzin (2008), Denzin (2002), and Denzin (2003) among others. He tirelessly advocated for the value of qualitative research, which, in turn, inspired me to elevate the status of qualitative research in the academic world. Denzin's work also made qualitative research more accessible to a broader audience, reaching scholars and practitioners alike. So, I am restlessly penning down my thoughts on Denzin's works, which encompass readers, writers, and researchers of all levels from various disciplines in the social sciences and education. Moreover, I am equally thankful for Denzin's unwavering commitment to social justice. His work was deeply rooted in a concern for the oppressed and marginalized, challenging me to examine the power structures that shape our society critically and inspiring me to strive for a more just and equitable world. In addition to the above, I would like to emphasize that Norman K. Denzin was not just an extraordinary researcher; he was a visionary who foresaw the potential of qualitative research long before many others. His works fundamentally shaped our understanding and interpretation of the world around us, providing invaluable tools to explore the complexities of human behavior and societal structures. His dedication to his craft was unparalleled, as he dedicated countless hours to analyzing data, formulating theories, and sharing his findings with the world. His passion for his work was evident in every paper he published, lecture, and student he mentored. I also celebrate his life and enduring legacy as we mourn his loss. His teachings inspire researchers worldwide, and his influence and ideology can be seen in countless studies and publications (Chen, 2022; Denzin & Lincoln, 2000; Denzin, 2010, among many more). While he may no longer be with us physically, his spirit lives on in the work he cherished so much. I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to engage with his works in the dominion of scholarship. Norman K. Denzin had a transformative impact on my life, and I am unequivocally a better person for it. Dear God, I express my heartfelt gratitude to Norman K. Denzin for his remarkable contributions to qualitative research. His life was a priceless treasure to us all, and I am forever thankful for the time I spent immersed in your works. Dear God, I trust that you have prepared a serene resting place for him; he is now at peace. I am confident that his enduring legacy will continue to shine brightly in the field of qualitative research. With the Deepest Gratitude, Niroj Dahal, Kathmandu University School of Education, Nepal Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author declared no potential conflicts of interest concerning the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Funding The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. ORCID iD Niroj Dahal: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7646-1186 References Chen, S. L. S. (Ed.). (2022). Festschrift in Honor of Norman K. Denzin: He knew his song well. Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0163-239620220000055025 Denzin N., & Lincoln Y. (2000). Handbook of qualitative research (2nd Ed.). Sage. Denzin, N. K. (1986). Postmodern social theory. Sociological theory, 4(2), 194-204. https://doi.org/10.2307/201888 Denzin, N. K. (2002). Social work in the seventh moment. Qualitative Social Work, 1(1), 25-38. Denzin, N. K. (2003). The call to performance. Symbolic interaction, 26(1), 187-207. https://doi.org/10.1525/si.2003.26.1.187 Denzin, N. K. (2008). Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials (Vol. 3). Sage. Denzin, N. K. (2010). Moments, Mixed Methods, and Paradigm Dialogs. Qualitative Inquiry, 16(6), 419-427. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800410364608 Denzin, N. K. (2013). “The Death of Data?”. Cultural Studies ↔ Critical Methodologies, 13(4), 353-356. https://doi.org/10.1177/1532708613487882 Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1995). Transforming qualitative research methods: Is it a revolution?. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 24(3), 349-358. https://doi.org/10.1177/089124195024003006 Author Biography Niroj Dahal works at Kathmandu University School of Education under the Department of STEAM Education. His research interests include ICT in education, qualitative research—action research, participatory action research, appreciative inquiry, arts-based inquiry, autoethnography, narrative inquiry, case study, content analysis, critical ethnography, critical social theories inquiry, decolonizing methodologies, decolonizing autoethnography, thematic analysis, narrative analysis, and collaborative inquiry (among others), mathematics education, open, distance & e-learning, STEAM education, research and development, and ICT & e-Research. Mr. Dahal has been teaching graduate and undergraduate students for over a decade. He has also been continuously taking part and presenting his research and practices in more than three dozen plus national and international conferences, workshops, and seminars. He has published articles, research notes, editorials, book reviews, and book chapters in various national and international journals and publication presses in the fields of ICT, qualitative research, education in general and mathematics education, and STEAM education in particular.
0 Comments
I am in doubt and even you may be that why all educated people are the follower of uneducated (not all) experimental politicians. Do experimental politicians help to sustains us for all? Here, in the recent trend politics become as “powerful business”, where politicians invest for future benefits (hidden desire)? So, many questions arise in my mind like: do not educated people have any ideology?, do not educated people have relevance academic qualification?, what educated people are thinking about the political leader?, do this kind of practice develop the nation? etc. In this regard, I request you to read the following characteristics of an educated person, find out who are you…exactly? and your contribution for developing the nation without losing your road map. Thus, an educated person has the ability to think clearly and independently, has good judgment, knows how to learn and acquire desired skills by identifying and utilizing available resources, deconstructing the process required for learning a particular skill and experimenting with potential approaches. Further, he/she has the ability to take initiative and work alone, communicate thoughts and ideas in writing, speak clearly and concisely, reason analytically and critically, think inductively and deductively. Thereby, an educated person doesn’t blindly accept what they are told. They can discern truth from error, regardless of the source and they know how to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information (between the important and the trivial).
For instance, an educated person knows how to make productive use of knowledge; they know where to get the knowledge that they need, and they have the ability to organize that knowledge into a plan of action that is directed to a definite end. In addition to an educated person understands human nature and has the ability to establish, maintain, and improve lasting relationships, knows how to establish rapport with others; they know how to get others to trust and respect, knows how to cooperate and collaborate effectively with others, knows how to resolve conflicts with others, knows how to persuade others, has the ability to conceptualize and solve problems, knows how to make decisions, has the ability to see connections among disciplines, ideas and cultures, able to cross disciplinary boundaries and explore problems and their solutions from multiple perspectives. Hence, then an educated person is someone who has been educated holistically (creatively, culturally, spiritually, morally, physically, technologically, and intellectually) and has a broad liberal-arts education. They have a good overview of the following subjects: the natural sciences; the social sciences; history; geography; literature; philosophy; and theology, has the depth of knowledge—that is, specialized knowledge–in a particular field, has achieved victory over themselves; they know how to withstand discomfort in the short term in order to achieve important goals in the long term, has the capacity to endure and persevere, is self-aware; they know how to perceive and manage their own internal states and emotions, knows where and how to focus their attention, has ethical values and has integrity, has the ability and the discipline to do what is right. So, an educated person has equal esteem for everyone, without regard to gender, race, religion, country of origin, and so on, understands their obligation to leave the world a little better than they found it, is capable of doing new things; they have the ability to generate ideas and turn them into reality. An educated person is innovative. An educated person is one whose natural curiosity has been awakened with the purpose of satisfying that curiosity, has the ability to identify needed behaviors and traits and turn them into habits, has the ability to identify harmful behaviors and traits—including thinking habits that are not serving them well—and the ability to modify them, has the ability to keep their life in proper balance, has the flexibility to admit when they’re wrong, has quantitative literacy; they know how to use arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and statistics to solve problems (social, emotional, etc). An educated person can speak at least one language other than their own, has financial literacy; they have the knowledge necessary to make sound financial decisions, is adaptable and knows how to deal with change, knows how to handle ambiguity, has the ability to explore alternative viewpoints, has aesthetic appreciation; they can sing and dance well, play at least one musical instrument, and can appreciate architecture, great art, and other expressions of creative genius, has developed the personal philosophy that will allow them to be happy and successful, has the ability and the discipline to constantly improve and has the ability to pursue lifelong learning. In conclusion, I consider the characteristics above to be those that are necessary in order to be a well-educated person for development of the nation from the perspective of educated people. It’s hard; it’s cold and damp loot even in short duration, why I would think of the same movement? So now I convince not to do so and divert! It is 27th September 2012, there is a national conference in WTC Hall at Tripureshwor, Kathmandu entitled with NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MATHEMATICAL EDUCATION IN NEPALESE CONTEXT organized by 5 different institutions along with my university (Kathmandu University). It’s a first program for me to engage in such a national conference. It was about 7:30 am when we (Hari and Me) reached there on the 4th floor of WTC hall. We meet our facilitator Binod Prasad Pant on the way to 4th floor at the same time I saw a lady. She seems very gentle, was about 5 fit with oval face and looked so fine. Without any hesitation I asked her, either she is from TU or KU? She replied KU. I was surprised because I never have seen her at KUSOED and I moved with my friend to watch poster (Mine and Others) which will be post on wall. It’s such a lovely day for me because I saw her there at first time but I didn’t care about her. On the parallel session (different session run in same time) I deliberately took her single picture without any reason.
On parallel session, I stay with my colleague’s team and I enjoyed lots with hope of joining the same type of program in future too but I don’t know how much my wish will work. I dint care her after about where she is? How is she? What does she do? I just passed the time with my teacher facilitators (Tika Ram Sir, Binod Sir, Amrit Sir, Bal Chandra Sir, Pundary Sir and even with colleagues). That was my first time; I stay for a whole day in the same program. At 5 pm in the evening the program was over so we people with colleagues returned to our own home by bus. I meet my father on the way to room, he asked me “how was program?”, because I already informed my entire family member about the program. I replied the best then we move to kitchen room again my younger sister asked the same question and I replied the same answer to her. We had dinner and each of us moved to bed room. Before sleeping, I frequently open my laptop to check notification, message and comment on Facebook and mail. On that day, I received a new message in Facebook from a new friend whose name was a bit new and unique for me. How far i could remember?“Niroj ji! If you have my picture then don’t forget to share” on the same movement I commented on her name, she replied that the name of man could be Shiva, Bishnu etc but why couldn’t be the name of mine like Shiba then I convinced with her and we started talking a bit later I send a friend request on facebook. She accepted my request. We frequently talk more than an hour per day. At the talking time I asked the question but she just replied only as answer machine. I feel doubt because why she always just replies only…? Never asked a question, so sometime I request her to ask some question for me too but she never… To be Continue…. With next episode soon |
I am Niroj Dahal from Dolakha, Nepal. Currently, I live in Kageshowari, Manahara-9, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Archives
October 2023
Categories |